Phil Jackson Wouldn't Take Michael Jordan First If He Was Starting an NBA Team

Ask Phil Jackson a hypothetical question. Go ahead. Ask him ANY hypothetical question you want and he will answer it! He's promoting a book right now, and he's been around the league for a long time. So go ahead and ask him.

Time took that opportunity recently when they sat down with Jax and asked him which NBA player he would take if he was to start an NBA team. The catch? That player doesn't have to be playing today. He could be from any NBA era. Obviously, Time was trying to see if he would take Michael Jordan. But Jax went in a different direction and picked someone else instead.

"In my estimation, the guy that has to be there would be Bill Russell," he said. "He has won 11 championships as a player. That's really the idea of what excellence is, when you win championships."

But, wait—GASP!—shouldn't your answer be MJ, Phil? He does have a few rings himself and…oh, who cares? It's not like Phil can actually pick Russell over MJ anyway, so does it really matter? Time's question was a little bit too hypothetical for us.